What’s In The Box? March 3-9

Spring Fresh
As we say ‘hello!’ to March, we also warmly welcome the first flavors of spring, celebrated this week in a fresh and healthy lineup bursting with bright greens, spring parsnips and more. Accented by locally-crafted provisions including our own signature rice blend, creamy Halloumi cheese from the Ring of Trees micro-dairy, plus Tonnemaker’s sweet ground chile peppers and dried Honeycrisp apples, this box springs to life with healthful produce such as carrots, Swiss chard and rutabagas. Enjoy!

Here’s what you’ll find in your box this week:

Farm & Larder Rice Blend

Crafted from a mixture of brown, black, wild, red and also Jasmine rice, this hearty, nutty rice blend provides the perfect base for a satisfying rice pilaf. This week, we’ve shared one of our favorite versions for spring, seasoned with a dash of sweet ground chile pepper and topped with an array of beautiful roasted root vegetables and wild mushrooms—see recipes for details.

Tonnemaker Sweet Ground Chile Pepper

A special treat from our friends at Tonnemaker Family Orchard & Hill Farm located in Royal City, this freshly-ground mixture of sweet, certified-organic chile peppers adds instant flavor to your favorite dishes! We highly recommend it tossed into rice pilaf or sprinkled over grilled Halloumi cheese kabobs and roasted vegetables for a smoky kick.

Housemade Chicken Stock

Made from roasted Bella Luna chickens, our signature stock is simmered slowly for hours with carrots, onions and celery and seasoned with a dash of sea salt. This week, try simmering our rice blend in the stock to infuse your pilaf with deep, rich flavor.

Tamarack ‘Balancing Act’ 2014 Chardonnay

Founded in 1998 by Ron and Jamie Coleman, Tamarack Cellars is dedicated to the production of small lot, hand-crafted wines. Released under their newest label Balancing Act, this crisp, unoaked Chardonnay is made from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley and features notes of fresh-cut green apple, pear and spiced vanilla cream.

Ring of Trees Farm Halloumi Cheese

Made to traditional standards from whole sheep’s milk at Ring of Trees’ micro-dairy in Bellingham, this salty, unripened brined cheese is perfect for frying or grilling, maintaining its robust texture and savory flavor against the heat—see this week’s recipes for serving ideas.

Farm Fresh Eggs

As they spend their time dodging raindrops on wet spring days, our heritage breed laying hens enjoy the tasty green popweed we pull from the garden, in turn supplying us with eggs in shades of brown, blue and green with bright yellow yolks.

Fresh Raisin Bread

Made with natural starter cinnamon and moist, chewy Flame raisins, this freshly-baked loaf is from our favorite bakery in nearby Snohomish.

Apricot Jam

A luscious jam crafted from apricots grown at Tonnemaker Family Orchard in Royal City.

Tonnemaker Dried Honeycrisp Apples

These sweet-tart, certified-organic dried apples slices are perfect for snacking!

Dried Wild Mushrooms

These beautiful fungi have been foraged from the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest by expert mushroom hunter Jeremy Faber of Foraged & Found Edibles—see this week’s recipes for instructions on how to reconstitute these local delicacies to add to rice pilaf or a vegetable rice soup.

Seasonal Organic Fruits & Vegetables

This week’s produce selection also includes rutabagas, leeks, parsnips, French fingerling potatoes, orange cauliflower, baby carrots and Cipollini onions. Also included: juicy Cara Cara oranges.

Seasonal Organic Greens

Baby red kale, Swiss chard and mixed radicchio.

Fresh Garden Herbs

Garlic, shallots, Italian parsley, thyme and mint from the Walled Garden at Bella Luna.